Katahdin Elementary students participate in 2012 mock election

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
  STACYVILLE, Maine — While the rest of the nation had to wait until Tuesday to casts their votes for which candidate should be the next president, students at Katahdin Elementary School had an opportunity to choose for themselves Oct. 30.
    Participating in the statewide 2012 Student Mock Election, students in Crystal Sirois’ fourth grade class hosted the mock election in their classroom. Those in grades 1-6 were able to cast ballots. A total of 240 Maine schools participated in the state’s mock election.
“Maine’s Student Mock Election is an excellent way to encourage young people to become interested in voting and engaged in discussions about state and national public policy issues,” Sirois said. “It provides a wonderful opportunity to integrate the civics and government components of the Maine Learning Results into classrooms in a meaningful way.”
The following was the final count of ballots:
President — Mitt Romney, 94 votes; Barack Obama, 75; Jill Stein, two; Gary Johnson, one; and other, one.
U.S. Senator — Angus King, 54 votes; Charles Summers, 17; Cynthia Dill, 15; Stephen Woods, six; Danny Dalton, five; and Andrew Dodge, two.
U.S. Congress (District 2) — Michael Michaud, 70; and Kevin Raye, 20.
“Most of the students in the younger grades said they were voting the way their parents were voting,” Sirois said. “The older students, in grades 4-6, took the voting seriously. They listened to the television and radio ads. Many expressed viewing the signs out on their neighbor’s lawns and around the communities. The fourth-graders, who hosted the event, were very professional at their own assigned jobs. I had many teachers and the principal comment on how well the election was organized and the excitement that went through the building. Students were talking about the mock election in the breakfast and lunchrooms.”
Sirois added the students realized how fortunate they were to be able to vote in the United States.
“We discussed how women were not allowed to vote until 1920,” Sirois said. “In fourth grade, we study about the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. We also attend a field trip to the state capitol in Augusta. We have been studying about the Constitution and how the Constitution impacts our lives. When the principal read the final ballot counts, students said they were looking forward to the Nov. 6 verdict and were in hopes to attend the voting process with their parents.”